Duly Quoted: Karen Stintz on Metrolinx

“We’ve talked about $2 billion a year—does it really need to be $2 billion a year? Given all that’s being built in the region right now, what is it that we absolutely require to continue to move forward with this plan?… Really it’s a provincial decision, and once they become more definitive about their approach to funding then municipalities can be behind it.”

—TTC chair Karen Stintz on Metro Morning Wednesday, in response to Metrolinx’s proposal to use some new dedicated taxes and levies to pay for building the next generation of transit infrastructure in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Yesterday Mayor Rob Ford rejected all new taxes and fees, saying residents couldn’t afford the cost. Stintz, in reply, said the question isn’t just what it’ll cost, but what we will get—something she says neither Metrolinx nor the municipalities have done a good enough job explaining to the public.